Dressed for success: How micro molding became the perfect accessory for wearable manufacture
Aaron Johnson, vice president of marketing & customer strategy, Accumold takes an in-depth look at the wearable market, its rise in popularity and the knock-on effect it has had on the micro molding sector.
With an increase in media attention, and reports indicating the wearable market could double by 2021, big questions are being raised that the medical industry hasn’t had to consider in the past. Does this affect medical devices and should we be paying attention? Where are the opportunities? Which designs and materials are best? Fortunately, as an enabling technology micro injection molders have a unique perspective you aren’t likely to find from your R&D department.
Most of us have a daily, hourly, or by-the minute interaction with at least one wearable device. Asking how this affects the medical device industry and the supply chain as a whole is certainly an important question, but if you’re smugly reading these words, thinking you were just left overlooked in this sweeping generalization, this raises the first question. Are you even sure you know what a wearable is?
Big Question 1: What is a wearable? No, really…
There is a notion that wearable technology is a modern construct, but this is only partially true. Smartwatches and fitness trackers have certainly hit the market in a big way. And in recent years their popularity has given prominence to this sector, paving the way for all sorts of new connected device. However, they don’t exclusively make up the wearable category.
If you consider the basics, wearable technology has been around for a long time. A pedometer is perhaps the oldest wearable we think of, and in the medical space the humble hearing aid is certainly a wearable piece of tech that is often overlooked. Even insulin pumps and pace makers are technically considered a ‘wearable’ and they have been on the market for decades. Your cell phone, with its accelerometer meant to monitor your activity is also a wearable. We just didn’t call these devices wearables. So, where’s the line?
When looking at the modern offerings there are a couple of common traits that seem to get us closer to understanding how we might draw the wearable line today. First, there is a measure of “smartness” to the device. While the term “smart” is somewhat overused, it does at least tell us there is more than a passive element to some devices. In some way wearing this device will provide real-time feedback that it can interpret, alert and/or react in a way that goes completely unnoticed.
Another common trait is connectivity. Most devices are either collecting data for analysis or connecting to another device, like your phone, for enhanced features, or it’s doing both. Connectivity takes a smart device that can interpret on its own and allows it to share its smarts with the user, a doctor and perhaps the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a wireless, continuous connection, but in some fashion, provide on-going benefit to the user.
Big Question 2: Where are the challenges and opportunities in these markets?
Some of the biggest challenges for the industry can also create some of the biggest opportunities. From purely a market driven point of view the challenge lies in the question, ‘what else does the device do?’
Start with notion that if a device is already going to be on our body, what else can it do for us? For example, if a hearing aid is already giving us hearing, why not have it count steps, check our heart, take our temperature, etc. Some of these features and more are already in these devices. The challenge lies in the ‘so what’ factor.
How many devices do we already own that can provide the same data? Consumers will not need, or even want six different ways to count their steps and therein lies the rub. The competition for which device does what will be strong in the coming years and the most elegant least friction solution will win the game. The phone in your pocket is currently your TV, radio, computer, camera, fitness tracker and your…. oh yeah, phone.
The second big challenge and opportunity will be in manufacturing. Consumers want more benefit in smaller devices and this stands to put added strain on your supply chain. The opportunity will come when you find partners, that fit more detail it tighter spaces. This is the world we live in and we know partners that can help you push the limits of design for manufacturability to give you that competitive edge are more valuable than ever. This will be a gating factor. The concepts and technology exist in many cases, getting it all to fit is the challenge we continue to chase.
Big Question 3: Is the sector under any threat from overseas competition or regulation?
The world of manufacturing seems to be in a form of paradigm shift when it comes to where and how things are made. There is no real distinction when it comes to medical devices or wearables that overseas competition isn’t already tackling. Those factors will continue to face the industry and it will evolve along with it.
The bigger threat is regulation. It’s not that regulations are changing at an increasing pace – consumer demand is – and that’s the challenge. It comes down to what defines a medical regulated device. Most smartwatches or fitness tracker have built in heart rate monitors that are not technically considered ‘healthcare devices’ yet consumers are using them everyday without consideration to the technical status of the component and indeed some consumer tech companies are partnering with medical institutions.
Studies have shown that some of these consumer grade components are very accurate and to most consumers, they don’t care if they are ‘real’ or regulated by some healthcare entity. They work and perform as needed. The pinch-point is many other medical device technologies are riding this same line with consumer-grade products. Which device, with what diagnose, will win?
The consumer grade product is much cheaper and more flexible to make as well, so this will continue to make it difficult for medical device makers to compete, especially when these technologies are associated with other consumer tech, like smartwatches. Consumers will continue to fight additional complexity and reject additional devices in favor of one elegant solution.
Big Question 4: How has the rise in smartphone technology and wearable tech affected the micro molding market?
One of the primary demands of any wearable tech or smart device these days is size. Pressures on manufacturing will continue to grow as the need for smaller and smaller components grows. The company Accumold, which specialized in micro mold technologies, has been around for more than 30 years, but its been the last decade that the growth demand has really spiked. Smart technology is a big factor in this demand.
Big Question 5: What are the main design considerations for these type of devices?
The biggest factor affecting the design is the relationship you have with your supply chain partners, especially micro molding, micro machining and companies you need to push the limits. There are many factors involved in determining what can be done from a micro molding standpoint, that there is no way to cover all the considerations. Don’t assume you can’t make something smaller or thinner before you talk with your micro molder. There are text book rules, and then there are micro molding rules, and we even find ourselves breaking our own micro molding rules from time to time. The best way to understand the rules are open and honest conversations about your needs and goals with your micro molding supplier. To be sure, your other suppliers that are helping you push will feel the same way.
Big Question 6: Which materials work best for these type of components?
As a micro molder who works with numerous thermoplastics, the biggest micro molding rule that we can define is not so much the design, but the material. Often the biggest challenge is finding a material that will fill mold completely and fulfill the desired form factor. The first two questions in any project here at Accumold are: ‘Is it a shape that is moldable?’ and ‘What’s the material?’ Not all micro geometries that can be molded with one material will work with another, therefore material selection has a profound affect on modality when it comes to micro injection molding. Materials like LCP do well in long thin sections, but PEEK does not. This is again where a textbook or even a materials datasheet may not provide the right clues. Talk to your supplier. It will be their experience and expertise that give the insights, but sometimes you just to need try it. We surprise customers all the time and it isn’t uncommon to hear “I didn’t know you could do that with plastic.”
Big Question 7: What should OEMS look for in a manufacturing partner?
There are three components to any supply chain evaluation. Capability, scalability, and sustainability. Of course, most device makers are not looking to check off just one box, in their efforts to find new and competitive ways to drive value. It’s for this reason, these decisions end up being less about finding a commodity supplier and more about finding a strategic partner. Navigating the relationship beyond the, ‘I just need to get it done’ phase, facing most development projects, is critical. The correct partner will be able to grow with the demands of the project and have the wherewithal to be a long-term. Critical components of any project shouldn’t just be ‘job-shopped’ but seen as extensions of your own manufacturing teams. This can be a huge competitive edge.
Big Question 8: How much of a threat is 3D printing to micro molding in this sector?
There may be only one other sector that’s attracted more buzz than wearables in recent days, and that’s 3D printing. There is real potential for 3D printing to expedite the design and creativity process and advancements in this technology have opened new markets and new business models. It’s exciting to guess where this tech can take modern manufacturing, but from a micro molding perspective, the technology has not arrived at a level of precision that competes. For high volume, high-precision micro molding, 3D printing is not a replacement, at least not for some time to come.
The bottom-line when looking at wearables or any smart device for medical device manufacturing is finding the ‘where’ and ‘what’. With strong competition for space on the human body not every component is going to win. Find where your company can bring the most advantage to the marketplace then choose the right supply chain partners carefully. Who knows, you could set the next standard for medical wearable/smart tech!